Display-box.



G. C. MACDONALD.

DISPLAY BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

coLuMmA ULANQGRAP GEORGE C. MACDONALD, oE CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

DISPLAY-BOX.

ASpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

Application filed April 5, 1911. Serial No. 619,109.

T0 all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. MACDON- ALD, a citizen of the United States, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rectangular boxes or cans of sheet metal, used to contain crackers, and other articles of food, the front side of t-he box having an aperture which is covered by a pane of glass, or other transparent material, and permits an inspection of a portion of the contents of the box. Boxes of this character are frequently shipped from the manufacturer of the contents to the retailer, and back from the retailer to the manufacturer. It is necessary to provide some means for protecting'the glass which covers the display opening, while the box is in transit, the protecting means being necessarily removable, so that the glazed opening will be visible when the box is placed on exhibition.

My invention has for its object to provide simple and effective means for shielding the frontside of the box, the shielding means being displaceable and adapted to be held inconspicuously against one of the sides of the box adjoining the front side.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speeiication,-Fig ure 1 represents a perspective view of a display box embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of a part of the body of the box. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of a part of the shield hereinafter referred to. Fig. 1 represents a section on line 4 4: of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1, the shield being shown in the different positions in Fig. 6 from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig 7 represents a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

The lsame reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

In the drawings, 12 represents the front side of a display box used for holding crackers, cakes, etc., the box being of rectangular form, and therefore having flat sides. The front 12 is provided with a display aperture, which is usually surrounded by a beveled flange 13a, projecting inwardly from the side 12. As here shown, the side 12 has a depressed panel 14, above the sight opening, this panel usually containing a label. The sight opening is covered by a transparent pane, or sheet 15, usually of glass, which bears against the flange 13a and is held against said flange by suitable ears 16 within the box. Articles contained in the boxes are therefore visible through the glazed sight opening in the front thereof. To the back side of the box is hinged a cover 17, having a flange 1S, formed to overlap the upper portions of the vertical sides of the box. The corner of the box formed by the intersection of the'front side 12, and one of the adjoining sides 13, is provided with hinge socket members 19, of which two are here shown. These members may be formed by bending pieces of sheet metal to forni a tube, and a flange projecting therefrom, the iiange being soldered, or otherwise attached rigidly to the box.

20 represents a shield, which is a fiat rectangular metal plate, of substantially the same form and area as the front side 12. One edge of the plate is provided with hinge Socket members 21, of which three are here shown, these alternating with the fixed socket members 19, and being preferably formed by bending ears, which project from one edge of the shield, to form tubes of the same size as the tubes 19. The hinge socket members 19 and 21 are connected by an elongated hinge rod or pintle 22, havin@ a head 22a which bears on the upper end of the upper socket member 21, and may be withdrawn from the Socket members to permit the removal of the shield from the box. The arrangement of the hinge members is such that the shield may be turned to lie against the Side 13, as shown by Figs. 1, 4; and 5, or against the apertured front side 12, as shown by Figs. 6 and 7. Then the shield is turned against the front side of the box, it covers the sight opening, and prevents breakage of the glass plate 15, as Well as disiigurement of any ornamentation or advertising matter on the front of the box. When the shield is turned against the side 13, it is out of the way and held in readiness to be used as a protector for the front of the box. The flange 18 of the cover overlaps the upper edge of the shield, when the latter is in either of the positions shown. The flange, therefore, confines the shield securely in place when the cover is closed. When the shield is adjusted to cover the front side 12, its lower edge is engaged by a catch Q3, attached to the lower portion of the front side 1Q, said catch being preferably a looped strip of sheet metal, the ends of which are soldered, or otherwise secured, to the side piece 12, this looped portion being sufficiently springy to engage the lower edge of the shield 20, as indicated by Fig. '7. Ihe catch 23 prevents the liability of the lower portion of the shield being sprung outwardly from the front side 12, the upper portion of the shield being confined, as above stated, by the flange ofthe cover. A catch 24C, which may be of similar construction to the catch 23,'is provided at the rear portion of the side 13, to engage the swinging edge of the shield and hold it against the side 13, so that when the cover is raised, the shield will notbe free to swing loosely outward. The upper portion of the shield is provided with a slot 25, to receive the usual hasp 26, on the front side 12, said hasp passing through a slot 27 in the cover flange. Then the shield is swung to position to cover the front side 12, the hasp 2G enters the slot 25, the cover being then closed and its flange sprung over the hasp until the latter enters the slot 27. It will be seen that the shield, hinged to one of the vertical corners of the box, may be made of such length or height that it is adapted to cover the parts of the front side 12 that need protection.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to provide a shield for the front side of a display box, the shield being adj ustably connected with the cover of the box and suspended therefrom over the front side of the box when in. use. It is often the case that the height of a box of this character is considerably greater than its width, or the distance between its front and back sides, consequently a shield formed to be stored within the cover is not long enough to cover practically the whole of the front side. The shield employed by me is not open to this obj ection. I/Vhen the shield is adjusted to protect the front of the box, the cover and the hasp 2G engaging the upper portion of the shield, and the catch 23 engaging its lower edge, coperate in finally securing the shield in place.

I claim:-

1. A rectangular box having a flanged cover, a glazed sight opening in the front vertical side, a vertical shield formed to cover said opening, and hinged at one of its vertical edges to the vertical corner of the box formed by the intersection of the front vertical side with one of the adjoining vertical sides, and adapted to bear on either of said sides, the upper edge of the shield being adapted to be over-lapped by the cover flange and confined thereby against either of said vertical sides.

2. A rectangular box having a flanged cover, a glazed sight opening in the front vertical side, a vertical shield formed to cover said opening, and hinged at one of its vertical edges to the vertical corner of the box formed by the intersection of the front vertical side with one of the adjoining vertical sides, and adapted to bear on either of said sides, the upper edge of the shield being adapted to be over-lapped by the cover flange and confined thereby against either of said vertical sides, and the front vertical side being provided at its lower portion with a catch adapted to engage and confine the lower edge of the shield.

3. A rectangularkbox having a flanged cover, a glazed sight opening in the front vertical side, fixed hinge members at the angle formed by the intersection of the front vertical side with one of the adjoining vertical sides, and a vertical shield composed of a flat plate having complemental hinge members coupled to the said fixed hinge members, and adapted either to bear on the front side and cover the aperture therein, or to bear on the said adjoining side, the upper edge of the shield. being adapted to be over-lapped and confined against either of said vertical sides of the box by the flange of the cover'.

L1. A rectangular box having a flanged cover, a glazed sight opening in the front vertical side, a shield hinged to the vertical corner of the box formed by the intersection of the front vertical side with one of the adjacent vertical sides, and adapted to bear on either of said sides, and to be over-lapped and confined at its upper edge against either of said sides by the flange of the cover, each of the above-mentioned vertical sides of the box being provided with a catch adapted to yieldingly engage a portion of the shield below the cover flange and cooperate with said flange in confining the shield against the box, said catches being also adapted to confine the shield against the box independently of the flange when the cover is raised.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE C. MACDONALD.

fitnesses C. F. BROWN, I. W. Pnzznri.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

